Tips For Making Money As A Photographer

While anyone can take pictures, earning a living as a photographer requires more than just knowing how to use a camera. Joining a print site doesn’t necessarily guarantee sales; after all, people want to know who you are before they’re interested in buying your work. This is where creativity really comes into play.

Tools like BeFunky’s Text Editor and Photo Frames help to inspire your creativity & give photos a little more oomph—which helps your photos really stand out in the crowd. Here are a couple of ways you can utilize your creativity to make a pretty penny.

Artistic Prints

Getting creative on and off camera is one of the best ways to make some extra cash as a photographer. Art buyers are looking for something that’s totally unique and they can’t buy anywhere else, which photographers achieve by making one-of-a-kind prints attached to ceramic tiles, barn wood, pallets, or anything else you may have on hand.

There’s even a template in the Designer Toolset for DIY Etsy banners, too, in case you want to sell your masterpiece on Etsy or at local craft fairs. Creative photo collages and printables also tend to fare pretty well on Etsy, so there you have it. Opportunities for cash aplenty.

Stock Sites

Selling stock is one the most common ways a photographer brings in a little extra cash. It’s a no-brainer way to use those tons of extra photographs that are just sitting around in a folder.

There are a few different ways of breaking into the stock photography business. The simplest method is to just open up a stock account at one of the many stock selling sites like Shutterstock.com or Bigstockphoto.com. Here your images will earn a small amount of income per download and a payment will be sent out once a month. Another option is selling stock to a more exclusive stock company that caters to publishers for books covers, billboards, etc. These stock dealers are a bit more selective but usually pay better than larger sites like Shutterstock.

Blogging

Most photographers don’t realize the full potential of blogging as an income resource. Blogging is a huge asset in helping build a bigger fan base, which can then allow you to generate income through advertising. Once you’ve got your branding guidelines established, the Designer Toolset is chock full of templates to help get you started. From making your own custom blog header images to templates for social media, sample ad designs and more, the Designer can help you create a flurry of marketing materials for your brand—all for free. A pretty blog is a happy blog after all.

The Immensely Social blog is also a great resource for bloggers who are just starting out, wink wink.

Commercial Work

Landing a commercial photography job is all rubbing elbows with the right people. “Well I don’t know anyone, what should I do?” Not to worry, cause it’s time to dust off the camera and make some new friends!

Step 1: Pick up the paper and look for local events to crash.

Step 2: Head out to an event with camera and business cards in hand.

Step 3: Interact with people, take pictures of interesting things.

Step 4: Contact local businesses, newspapers, magazines, or anyone else you can think of that might be interested in the photographs you took.

Even if you don’t land a gig right then and there, this process helps gets your name out there and (potentially) opens up new doors for your work.

These are just a few tips to get you started. What creative ways do you use your photography to make a little cash? We’d love to know in the comments below.

Joseph

The perfect photography with the right focal and insight to be creative will attract more on the professional side of a photographer.